By MARC McDONALD
Out of the mind-numbing blizzard of horrific stories emerging from the Iraq fiasco, one particular story has haunted me over the past few months. It is a stomach-churning Associated Press story from November:
"One of four U.S. soldiers accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl last spring and killing her and her family pleaded guilty (Nov. 15) and agreed to testify against the others. Spc. James P. Barker agreed to the plea deal to avoid the death penalty, said his civilian attorney, David Sheldon."
The military judge presiding over the case asked Barker why he participated in the attack in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad.
"I hated Iraqis, your honor," Barker is quoted as saying in the courtroom.
And what, exactly, might have motivated this hatred for the Iraqi people?
To get the answer to this question, you need look no further than the lies that George W. Bush has been steadily feeding our troops over the years.
As Mark Crispin Miller noted in his 2004 book, Cruel and Unusual:
"Bush sent a very different message to our troops....by harping on Iraq's alleged complicity in 9/11, and by hyping the fictitious `terrorist threat' posed by that nation. Because of such inflammatory propaganda, our troops were motivated mainly by a craving for revenge, as after the destruction of Pearl Harbor. Throughout the march to war, and through the first year of the war itself, payback was on everybody's mind. `The only thing that motivates all the soldiers fighting in Iraq is payback for Sept. 11, 2001,' reported Reuters."
Miller continues:
"That lust for righteous vengeance has helped push our troops toward barbarism---which is often frightening even to themselves."
In the aftermath of the horrific atrocities committed by our troops against the Iraqi people, the U.S. media can be counted upon to do a great deal of soul-searching, hand-wringing "how could this happen?" type stories. We've seen this happen over and over again in Iraq.
But for anyone wondering how our troops could be so savage and barbaric at times, I think the finger of blame should be pointed at the Bush White House for the steady diet of lies and misinformation it has fed to our troops.
The fact is, the Bush White House has deliberately lied to our soldiers in Iraq. By feeding them a constant stream of bullsh*t about Iraq's "ties" to 9/11, the Bush team has created a situation in which our troops are filled with rage and hell-bent on vengeance: a situation that has been directly responsible for the barbaric acts that we've seen committed by U.S. troops in Iraq.
News and opinion with a progressive viewpoint.
This makes me so angry/sad I could spit. Sure Bush ginned up the troops, but ultimately these barbaric soldiers did great evil in the world that day, went back to base drank beer and ate chicken wings.
ReplyDeleteThey reminded me of the Grisham characters that raped and nearly murdered the child in "A Time To Kill".
They deserve what they get and I hope BushCo gets what it deserves for all they have done as well.
The thing that always baffles me is that, from what I've read, the target of hatred (that is, after the Iraqis) for U.S. troops in Iraq, is none other than the media. Troops bitch and moan that the media "only reports the bad news" and makes things look worse than they supposedly are. Hmmm, I find it interesting that the Baker report said that the Pentagon itself had worked hard to grossly understate the true violence taking place in Iraq. The troops hate the Iraqis and the media....I find it odd that they don't seem to have any hatred for the man who sent them into a bloody hell-on-earth quagmire all for a pack of lies. (Oh, and so Dick Cheney's Halliburton buddies could get even richer).
ReplyDeleteI agree that Bush did motivate not just the troops but our entire country on the "vengence" idea where his justification for iraq in specific is what I want proof on and solid proof. I think the soldiers are caught in a sick twisted game of power grubbing over basically a oil field. The troops over there do what they are told to do no matter what when they personally can not justify the missions they are on they suffer from having to justify them in their own mind. Let me ask this if you had seen so much blood lost your buddie next to you and still expected to fight without true justification I would certainly think it would affect them in a negative way. They are confused and trying to rationalize why their commander and chife is giving them orders that dont make sense. When they are trained to have the right to refuse a order if it is not right but what choice do they have if they are overseas not much choice at all. The blame is left only to Bush he pushed and pushed revenge to get congress to agree to war now he need to do the right thing and push the withdrawl before he hurts any more of the soldiers over there on a mental level because ultimately that is what is happening. Bush needs to face the facts that our soldiers their families and their lives are not at he disposal for the betterment of his "family money" oil greed. I personally just wish that he would bring them home and then we as the country we should be could help them understand that it is not their fault they were doing thier jobs and doing what they were supposed to do fighting over there it is the fault of a politician that made a bad choice of sending them in the first place. As for specific incidents such as the "14-year old girl" ther will always be grotesque acts of insane killing and such after all it is war. We hear these stories because of our routers in with our troops but what of the stories that the enemies have done. Soldiers that are trying to do their jobs are being chastized because of the fact it is "war" and how fair is that when ultimatley it is Bush that told them they have to be there. People need to realize it is war and if they want it to end regaurdless of who "wins" the only way to end war is to pull them out. The real question isn't did Bush's lies play a role, the real question is are we going to continue to let him lie and pursue with the war? I say NO the objective he set out to do has been achieved he hunted down Saddam and let the country have their justice. Let our troops come home enough damage has been done now is the time for our country to think more about the damage that is being done to our soldiers. Why is it the Bush is so concerned about the damage in Iraq and that is supposedly needs rebuilt when his lust for control is destrying our soldiers since in his position of power he is using them to gain the control he wants. THE ONLY RESOLUTION THAT MAKES SENSE IS BRING THEM HOME!!!! NOW!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what he said about 'payback' for sept 11
ReplyDeleteand I think we should still havent really paid back what happend to us
because we cant win a war withour casualtys
Chavez: the other side of the story that the MSM won't tell you:
ReplyDeletehttp://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2007/01/venezuelas-rctv-acts-of-sedition.html
I suspect that there have been a lot of atrocities in Iraq like this one that never got publicized because the U.S. military successfully covered them up (the way they attempted to cover up this atrocity).
ReplyDelete